Patriarch Kirill: It is a crime still stirs our conscience

In the night from 16 to 17 July 2018, the one hundredth anniversary of the execution of the Royal family, his Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill celebrated the divine Liturgy on the platform in front of the Temple-a monument in Yekaterinburg. Before the communion of the laity his Holiness addressed the worshippers with his primatial word, reports patriarhiei.

“This crime still stirs our conscience, – said the Patriarch – is still forcing back thoughts at that time and try to understand what was happening to our country, our people? Where did this insanity, this attack? Regardless of the distance in a hundred years, we at all desire can not see all the nuances of the national life of our nation who wear away from memory and away from even the most perceptive of eyes. But such crimes as the one committed here cannot be accidental. For this crime, something was standing over him is a kind of collective guilt of the entire nation, a turnaround in the historical life of Holy Russia, which made the people heavy in a terrible impasse.”

“What happened to our people? After all, the country was covered with churches and monasteries, the vast majority of people were baptized, churches were filled with people. Why did this happen? Why the killer pulled the trigger, not trembling from what commit? So, not all was well. So, the sunlight, reflected in posiadanych domes, were not always interpreted in human hearts, strengthening their faith in the Lord. And we know how for at least 200 years prior to the tragedy of the Ipatiev house, there occurred some changes in the minds of people who slowly but steadily led many to retreat from God, forgetfulness of the commandments, the loss of real spiritual connection with the Church and the centuries-old spiritual tradition.

Why did this happen to our people? Why he at some time became like a train, the driver of which did not calculate the speed and which is included in the steep turn, rushing to the imminent catastrophe? When we as a people entered this turn? As we entered when alien thoughts, alien to the ideals that are alien to the worldview formed under the influence of philosophical and political theories, had nothing to do either with Christianity or with our national tradition and culture were perceived and intellectuals, and the aristocracy, and even part of the clergy as thought advanced, by which you can change the lives of the people.

Really, the idea is to change the lives of people occurs whenever there is a plan to drastically change the course of history. We know that the most terrible and bloody revolutions have always occurred due to people’s aspirations for a better life. The leaders of these revolutions have inspired the people that there is no other way to make life better — only the blood, only through death, only through the destruction of the existing order. And at some point, giving up his spiritual birthright, losing a real connection with the Church and God, the intelligentsia, the aristocracy and even, as I said, the part of the clergy darkened mind, infected by the idea of the need to drastically change the course of national history and to try as quickly as possible to build a world where justice reigns, where no former stratification on the basis of property where people live peacefully and happily. As a result, many captured this idea came to committing crimes,” – said the Primate.

“There is a question: “And whether it is possible through crime, through blood, through violence, through the destruction of shrines to build a happy life?” History shows clearly: it is impossible! And probably the first and most important lesson that we must learn from the tragedy of a century ago, no promise of a happy life, no hope of help from outside, from supposedly more educated and advanced people should not tempt our people. We must remember the tragedy of the past. We have to develop immunity to any calls to achieve human happiness through the destruction of what is. Hardly anyone of those who are called upon to destroy people’s life, destroyed his own life, had abandoned their own well-being. But with what fury it was proposed to do to all the people! And people have internalized this lie and the ultimate retreat from the most sacred and precious thing they had, was a terrible execution of the Royal family, of people innocent, not in conflict with the law. And what kind of law could be involved, if to build a happy life it was necessary to kill the Tsar and his entire family? We know that nothing happened, and after that bitter experience, we must build a sustainable opposition to any ideas, any leaders that offer by scrapping our national life, our traditions and our faith to venture into some unknown “happy future”.

“Today, gathered here in such abundance, we recalled the tragedy of the Ipatiev house. We prayed to the Lord, we prayed to the Emperor-Martyr Nicholas and those who with him have suffered, that they prayed in heaven on earth of our Fatherland, for our people to strengthen the Orthodox faith in each successive generation of Russians to the faithfulness of God, love of country accompanied the life of our youth and those who will come to replace it, and never to such a tragedy occurred on our land. God bless our Russian land, Russian people, who today lives in different States that have different names, and our people are called in different ways, but it’s the same people who came out of the Kiev Baptismal font and passing through the grave historical circumstances, hitherto preserved the Orthodox faith. And Yes resides the blessing of God over our nation, over our Fatherland and our Martyr Russian Orthodox Church. Prayers of the new martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church Yes will change people’s lives — without any shocks and blood, but on the firm Foundation of faith and hope that God is with us! God bless all of us with the prayers of the Holy Royal martyrs and all the martyrs!”